Palm, Handspring sales remain strong

Sales of Palm and Handspring devices remained strong through January and the first part of February, according to a new survey from Bear Stearns. Although sales are showing a typical seasonal slowing, 92 percent of the stores surveyed said that sales of the handheld computers were in line with or ahead of expectations. Roughly 39 percent said sales far exceeded expectations.

The survey was conducted over a four-day period and polled 51 stores in the United States and 19 stores in the Britain. In announcing the results, Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff reiterated his "buy" rating on Palm and "neutral" rating on Handspring.